I'll start where I always start: the characters. Pocahontas is an excellent Disney creation. The legends of Pocahontas are immense from all throughout the history, but Disney breaths fresh life back into this historic figure and makes her one of the most well developed characters from the Renaissance. Following in the footsteps of Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine, Pocahontas stakes her claim in the pantheon of great leading characters from this incredible era in Disney animation. The animators really hit this character out of the park. Pocahontas is truly life-like in her movements and facial expressions, providing a realism like never before. She is instantly relatable because we all want to know what is just around the proverbial riverbend even if it terrifies us. Through the life of Pocahontas, we are given one example of how to pursue our dreams and our future: by making our own path. The messages proclaimed throughout Pocahontas are powerful as Disney continues the trend of providing layers and adding dimensions to their tales.
The rest of the ensemble, though, cannot quite match the excellence of Pocahontas, and I think that is what holds it back from being a classic. John Smith is a fine character, but rather unremarkable overall. We get a nice glimpse into his inward thoughts in the "Mine, Mine, Mine," sequence, but he is essentially just there, inserted into the story with no real purpose. His development stalls far too often. Our villain, Governer Ratcliffe, is a solid antagonist, but like Smith, he is not given enough material to fully develop. He's just another greedy colonist. Therein lies my only complaint with Pocahontas, actually. Other than developing the character of Pocahontas exquisitely, the rest of the characters and story in general lack dimensions and layers. By deciding to focus on the romance between John Smith and Pocahontas, the big picture conflict of the colonists invading the New World is relegated to a secondary story arc when it deserves better. A story with that kind of focus would be a knockout for Disney, but instead of going that route, they settled, in my opinion.
Despite what I just wrote, though, I still think Pocahontas is a great film. The songs and score found in this film are quite amazing. The first two numbers, "The Virginia Company" and "Steady as the Beating Drum," are outstanding tone setters for the film for both groups represented in the story. Plus, whenever those drums start beating, my heart rate and excitement rise significantly. Pocahontas's first song, "Just Around the Riverbend," is one of my favorite scenes/songs from the film. This song is Pocahontas's equivalent to "Belle" in Beauty and the Beast or "Part of Your World" in The Little Mermaid. It offers us a chance to hear what Pocahontas is thinking and dreaming of, and therefore, we are challenged to think of our dreams in turn. "Savages" is sometimes criticized for being stereotypical, but I think it reflects the history and conflicts abounding during this time period expertly. Plus, Alan Menken knows how to write a "prepare for battle" number (Look at "The Mob Song" from Beauty and the Beast). Finally, the film's signature moment comes when Pocahontas serenades John Smith with "Colors of the Wind." Judy Kuhn's performance is spectacular in this scene, and the song itself is legendary. It is not just a simple ode to nature and its inhabitants; it is a challenge, not only to John Smith, but to us as an audience. Its powerful message is bold, daring, and just what this film needed.
I feel as if Pocahontas gets a bad reputation due to the simple fact that it is not as good as The Lion King, Aladdin, or Beauty and the Beast, but in my opinion, that doesn't make it a bad film whatsoever. While it may not be a masterpiece worthy enough to be a classic, Pocahontas is still a fascinating film that challenges, entertains, and inspires, and at the end of the day, isn't that what we expect from Disney?
Rating: 9/10
Historical Significance: In an early draft of the story, Grandmother Willow was written for a male and was designed to be the spirit of the river, appropriately called Old Man River. This character would then sing "Just Around the Riverbend" instead of Pocahontas. The role was initially offered to Gregory Peck (To Kill a Mockingbird), who had been a huge fan of Disney for decades (while president of the Academy, he campaigned for The Jungle Book to win Best Picture, and he also placed The Lion King in his top five favorite films of all-time). It devastated him, but Peck had to decline the role because he felt as if the character needed to be a motherly figure. This suggestion inspired the filmmakers to change everything about the character and also allowed Pocahontas to sing that classic song.
Behind the Scenes: A number of interesting choices were made in the casting process. John Smith is voiced by Mel Gibson as Pocahontas became the first film featuring Gibson singing. Christian Bale provided the voice of Thomas, and in an interview, Bale mentioned that the animators modeled Thomas after him. The filmmakers originally wanted Richard White, the voice of Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, to bring Governor Ratcliffe to life, but they were afraid that the two characters would sound too similar. They cast David Ogden Stiers instead, who, ironically, voiced a character from Beauty and the Beast as well: Cogsworth. Furthermore, Richard Means plays Powhatan, and he has often offered support for the film in the face of criticism for Native American stereotyping. Means, a Native American himself, calls Pocahontas the "single best representation of Americans Indians that Hollywood has ever done."
Favorite Character: Pocahontas is undoubtedly the star of her own film. First of all, the character animation on display here is simply superb. Pocahontas is one of Disney's best characters from a creative standpoint as well as an animation standpoint. She reminds me of Ariel from The Little Mermaid, in a way. Society has a certain expectation for what Pocahontas is suppose to become just as is the case with Ariel, but above all, she is fiercely determined to follow her own path and pursue her dreams. One of the film's highlights is at the end of the "Just Around the Riverbend" sequence when Pocahontas is at a crossroads, and she must decide whether to take the path of the calm water or the tumultuous water. When she eventually begins rowing towards the rapids, we know that Pocahontas is one special character.
Favorite Scene/Song: The theme of these two sections having the same answer continues with Pocahontas. The "Colors of the Wind" sequence is a spectacle to behold. Yes, Alan Menken strikes again! This song is a powerful anthem for the film and its intended message. Within the lyrics of this number are so many poignant ideas and thought-provoking questions, so when those lyrics are combined with the wondrous animation on display in this sequence, Pocahontas truly shines. As an audience, we essentially become John Smith during this scene because we all just watch in amazement as Pocahontas and Menken create Disney magic.Updated Ranking: I came so close to awarding Pocahontas a perfect ten on my rating scale, but since I decided to go with nine instead, that puts Pocahontas just behind the tens.
- Beauty and the Beast
- The Lion King
- Aladdin
- The Little Mermaid
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- Peter Pan
- Cinderella
- The Jungle Book
- Sleeping Beauty
- Pinocchio
- Lady and the Tramp
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Alice in Wonderland
- Dumbo
- Bambi
- 101 Dalmatians
- Pocahontas
- The Great Mouse Detective
- Fantasia
- The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
- The AristoCats
- The Rescuers Down Under
- Fun and Fancy Free
- The Fox and the Hound
- Robin Hood
- Melody Time
- The Three Caballeros
- Saludos Amigos
- Oliver & Company
- The Rescuers
- The Sword in the Stone
- Make Mine Music
- The Black Cauldron
The second half of the Disney Renaissance doesn't get as much publicity and acclaim as the first half, but genuine gems are to be found in the coming days. Our next film begins a new era for Disney as Pixar arrives on the scene with Toy Story!
-Cody Fleenor
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